Imagine if a huge solar array could fit inside a standard shipping container, complete with inverters and a large battery bank, which could be flown or driven directly to the point of use, and then quickly deployed for off-grid power in remote locations.

That's the idea behind Renovagen's Rollarray Isogen Transportable Solar Power Plant, which could revolutionize the way power is delivered to disaster relief efforts, or to provide power to remote facilities of any kind, from military operations to scientific fieldwork.

The company's flexible and rollable PV array materials differ from other options in rollable PV, as their version is not just a single module, but an entire array, completely pre-wired and connected with built-in power cables.

The material can be rolled onto a spool for easy transport and quick deployment, and when combined with inverters and a battery bank into a standard 20ft ISO shipping container (which can take advantage of existing transportation and container-handling infrastructure), could be the future of transportable solar plants.

The Rollarray Isogen unit, which can stow a solar array measuring 5 meters wide and up to 200 meters long, is said to have the "highest PV stowage density of any transportable solar power system yet conceived."

According to the company, the key benefits of this system include:

Lower cost than diesel gensets – in the military scenario, for example, break-even may be achieved in 6 months – 2 years.

Array can be quickly stowed for transportation or protection in the event of severe weather